Deputy Eric Vaughan Uses Excessive Force to Pry Open Woman's Mouth

 Surveillance video of confrontation in Summit County Domestic Relations Court:

A woman was injured and then charged with resisting arrest after a Summit County sheriff’s deputy pried open her jaw after she took prescription Tylenol.

The incident took place in a prisoner-holding room in domestic relations court where Siobhan Householder, 35, said she was told to wait last week while a warrant was being lifted on a charge of failing to appear at a hearing.

The Akron woman went to court on her own May 8 and said she didn’t believe she was in custody and, therefore, felt free to take the Tylenol for a tooth infection.

A sheriff’s spokesman, however, said Wednesday that the woman was in custody and she was stopped from taking the medication for her own protection.

An internal investigation, as required by department policy, is underway because of the deputy’s use of force.

A surveillance camera mounted inside the room shows Deputy Eric Vaughan leaving the holding room with a jail inmate about 2:35 p.m. Householder then walks in alone with her purse, a second bag and a plastic cup of soda and takes a seat.

There is no audio with the video. The deputy and inmate soon return.

After the deputy was there about two minutes, Householder said she took two Tylenol pills along with a sip of soda. She was taking a third when the deputy confronted her, she said.

“He said, ‘What are you taking?’ and I said, Tylenol,” she recalled. “And he said, ‘Spit it out’ and I said, ‘I can’t.’ I meant to say I can’t spit it out because I had already swallowed the other pills.

“But I didn’t even get that part out before he just yanked me up and threw me down on the ground and was trying to dig these pills out of mouth.

“And there was one [pill] in there and I couldn’t even get it out because he kept shoving his hand in my mouth and squeezing my face and pulling my hair at the same time.”

Wrestled to floor

The deputy is seen in the video grabbing the woman’s hair at the back of her head and taking his hand to her jaw while wrestling her to the floor.

“He was pulling down on my bottom lip and squeezing my face at the same time,” she said in an interview Tuesday. “He basically pulled my lip away from my teeth.”

She said she suffered a bruised chin, cuts inside her mouth, bruises to her legs and some hair loss.

At one point during the tussle, the prescription bottle falls to the floor and the deputy picks it up and reads the label. He eventually appears to collect a single Tylenol pill that fell on the carpeting.

Afterward, Householder, a mother of three, was handcuffed and frisked and her bags were searched. She was then taken to Akron General Medical Center.

“They were acting like I wanted to escape from Alcatraz. It was awful,” she said.

Sheriff’s Inspector Bill Holland, speaking on behalf of the department and deputy, said Vaughan was ordered to take Householder into custody. Householder said she was unaware she was in custody.

“While taking Ms. Householder into custody, Deputy Vaughan witnessed her attempt to ingest several pills. He restrained her for her safety and she was transported to a local hospital where she was treated and released,” Holland wrote in an emailed statement.



A court spokeswoman also said Householder was in custody until she could be booked and released.

In fact, jail records show Householder was “remote booked and released on domestic relations case” that same afternoon, either from the courthouse or the hospital.

A magistrate also signed the order lifting the warrant that same day.

Treated at scene

Paramedics treated Householder at the scene for a bloody mouth. She was in the hospital ER when she was released with summonses on charges of resisting arrest and obstructing official business.

She has a prior resisting-arrest charge stemming from an unrelated incident in April.

Deputies in the courthouse seized her prescribed medications, which include the nine Tylenol and two diazepam tablets. They also seized 26 ibuprofen tablets Householder had in a plastic sandwich bag that were kept in her purse, and three unknown pills they said were in a latex glove. Householder disputes putting any pills in a latex glove.

She has not been charged with any drug offenses.

Former Officer Timothy Patterson Sentenced for Child Rape

Former Minerva police officer Timothy A. Patterson was sentenced to nine years in prison Thursday after accepting a plea deal for a crime involving one youth and three children.

The 58-year-old, residing at 105 W. Line St. in Minerva, entered a plea of guilty to amend charges against him consisting of two counts of first-degree felony rape, seven counts of third-degree felony gross sexual imposition and one count of third-degree bribery.

According to Stark County Assistant Prosecutor Katie Chawla, who handled the case, the two rape charges were amended to a different section of the rape statute that eliminated the possibility of Patterson serving a life sentence. That was done in order to permit resolution of the case.

Chawla reported three of the youth are currently 11 years old, and she said one child, who was the basis of the majority of the charges, was 6 when the court determined the rapes began, in 2007. The rapes continued until they were reported to police in 2012.

Patterson was also charged with seven counts of gross sexual imposition and with bribery.

Chawla indicated allegations based on one of the charges he plead to involved Patterson offering something of benefit to the mother of one of the victims if she didn't go to the police.

"Some of the charges Patterson pleaded to involved a game of dirty truth or dare," Chawla also reported.

Chawla indicated the court action was a negotiated plea agreement because the families didn't want their children to have to testify in court. In addition to incarceration, Common Pleas Court Judge Kristin Farmer also sentenced Patterson to be registered as a Tier III sex offender. Tier III offenders are subject to strict address verification, and the community and the victim(s) receive notification whenever such an offender relocates to a new address.

Patterson started working for the Minerva Police Department in 1987 and continued as a full-time and part-time employee there for many years, even being praised for his work at one time as an Officer of the Month. Patterson left the police force to take another job that was not involved in law enforcement.

A secret grand jury indictment was issued against Patterson on Feb. 24 and a warrant for his arrest was issued by Judge Kristin Farmer of Common Pleas Court on the same day. He was taken into custody on March 13 by an unidentified U.S. marshal and Stark County Deputy John VonSpiegel. The arrest was conducted by the Northern Ohio Fugitive Task Force, and VonSpiegel was working as a part of the unit at the time.

Former Officer Robert Lodwick Pleads Guilty to Soliciting Sex from Teen

A former Youngstown city police officer faces sentencing after soliciting sex from a 14-year-old girl and taking nude pictures of her.

41-year-old Robert Lodwick pleaded guilty in Mahoning County Common Pleas court to charges of importuning, pandering obscenity, and illegal use of a minor in nudity oriented material.

The prosecutor is recommending a sentence of 18 months in jail when he is sentenced at 10:00 a.m. on June 4.

Lodwick was a Detective Sergeant with the Youngstown police department until he was fired in June after the allegations surfaced.

Former Officer Ricky Vitte Jr Appears in Court on Charges of Masturbating With Boy

The former Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper accused of masturbating with a boy and showing him porn pleaded not guilty Monday at his first court appearance.

Ricky Vitte Jr., 34, of Helena, attended his arraignment hearing in Sandusky County Common Pleas Court on a felony charge and a misdemeanor charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles. He was flanked at the hearing by his attorney, Dean Henry, as well as a few family members.

After Vitte pleaded not guilty to both counts, Sandusky County prosecutor Tom Stierwalt asked that the former trooper be released on his own recognizance, citing his appearance at the arraignment as an indication he would appear at the next hearing.

A condition of that bond, however, requires Vitte to completely avoid contact with the victim, who is now 18 years old.

As part of the proceedings, Judge Barbara Ansted ran through a laundry list of activities Vitte cannot engage in, given his pending charges.

One of those — a rule barring him from possessing a firearm — prompted Ansted to mention Vitte’s former Highway Patrol job.

“You don’t need (one) for your job anymore?” Ansted asked.

Vitte replied with a succinct “no.”

After the hearing, Henry and Stierwalt hashed out the next hearing date and Vitte was briefly booked into the Sandusky County jail on his indictment.

His arraignment came after nearly four months of conflicting information from Sandusky County officials, Highway Patrol administrators and Ohio Director of Public Safety Jon Born’s office.

In November, Sandusky County deputies learned Vitte allegedly showed porn to a boy and masturbated with him on two occasions when the boy was still a preteen.

Stierwalt at first declined to charge Vitte because the former trooper could argue he was teaching the child about sex. Stierwalt presented the case in April to a grand jury, which handed down an indictment. 

The Patrol then fired Vitte for conduct unbecoming of an officer.

During the Patrol’s investigation of the allegations, Stierwalt said he consulted with a Lucas County prosecutor, who agreed with Stierwalt’s initial decision not to press charges. In a recent public records request by the Register, however, Lucas County officials said they had no record of Stierwalt contacting their office. 

Judge Seals Ex-Police Officer John Marra Conviction in 2008 teen-sex case

  

    John L. Marra, 37, had made the request to seal the conviction on the dereliction of duty charge, a second-degree misdemeanor.

    Marra, who now is police chief of Brady Lake in Portage County, had pleaded no contest to the charge. He was sentenced to probation for two years and ordered to resign as a Uniontown police officer.

    Marra served as a part-time/auxiliary Uniontown officer. He was hired July 11, 2005, and resigned May 28, 2008.

    According to the complaint, while on duty, Marra kissed and fondled a teenage girl. He also engaged in inappropriate text messages, the court record said.

    In addition, Marra “failed to perform his duties by going to Subway restaurant while on duty, to engage in a sexual relationship with (the girl).”

     The girl was 16 and 17 during that time, records said.

    At Thursday’s court hearing, Judge John Poulos said it appeared that Marra’s conviction qualified to be sealed under state law. The conditions include the time since the conviction occurred, the level of crime and the offender’s criminal record.

    Poulos’ ruling means the conviction will be sealed and no longer appears in public court records.

    Following the brief hearing, Marra declined comment.

    The city prosecutor’s office had objected to Marra’s request.

    The prosecutor’s office cited multiple reasons for the objection, including that Marra should be held to a higher standard as a police officer.

    Marra has been interim police chief of Brady Lake since March, court records said.

    The prosecutor’s office also said that state law prevents the sealing of convictions where the victim of the offense was a minor under age 18 and the charge is a first-degree misdemeanor.

    “Although (Marra) is not charged with a misdemeanor of the first degree, the court should still treat this offense as such because the facts of this case make it substantially similar to other serious crimes such as importuning and sexual battery,” the court filing reads.
A judge has sealed the record of a former Uniontown police officer who was convicted in 2008 of a misdemeanor stemming from having sex with a teenage girl while he was on duty.

Deputy Clerk William Montgomery Sentenced to JUST 18 months for Molesting Child

William Tyrone Montgomery was sentenced Monday to 1½ years in prison for molesting a young girl in the 1980s, beginning when she was 8 years old.

Montgomery, 52, resigned from his longtime job as a deputy clerk for Lorain County Clerk of Courts Ron Nabakowski earlier this month under public pressure after pleading guilty to gross sexual imposition charges in March. His plea was part of a deal that saw prosecutors drop additional charges of rape and sexual battery.

Montgomery also was labeled a sexually oriented offender and will have to register for 10 years after his release from prison.

Although the victim, who now is an adult, wasn’t in court Monday, Assistant County Prosecutor Chris Pierre read a letter she wrote urging county Common Pleas Judge Mark Betleski to impose a prison sentence.

The victim wrote that Montgomery had molested her for a decade and she endured it because she was afraid she was going to get in trouble herself or suffer other consequences if she told anyone.

“I locked all the bad stuff away in a separate little box in my brain,” the letter said.

She wrote that the abuse made her feel terrible and that “rotten became my normal.”

The victim said that in her mind justice for Montgomery would see him serving time in prison, where he could feel some of what she felt while he was sexually abusing her.

“I want him to live locked away in a little box,” the letter said. “I want him to live in fear.”

Montgomery apologized in court for his actions.

“I’m truly sorry for what I have done,” he said. “Through the course of my life I have never wanted to hurt anybody.”

Defense attorney Jack Bradley said Montgomery also had apologized to the girl’s family about four years ago. Montgomery was indicted in August 2013, shortly before the statute of limitations in the case would have run out.

He said his client still has the backing of his church and several co-workers and supporters who wrote letters to Betleski urging leniency.

But Pierre countered that those supporting Montgomery weren’t around when he was molesting the victim and couldn’t attest to who he truly was.

“Character is who you are and what you do when no one else is around, and the state would submit that (the victim) knows what the defendant is like when no one else is around,” he said.

Betleski said he was imposing the sentence based on the charges Montgomery had pleaded guilty to, not the allegations that had been leveled.

He also was critical of the direction the public discourse surrounding Montgomery’s employment took.

Although Nabakowski had said he would wait until after sentencing to decide what to do with Mongtomery, he also said that he was unlikely to fire him if he received probation. That brought complaints from the public and county Commissioner Tom Williams, who pushed for Montgomery to be barred from county property if he wasn’t fired.

Betleski said the debate failed to take into account the low recidivism rates of sex offenders and that those who had called for Montgomery to be fired didn’t appear to know that. He also said that those who believe felons shouldn’t be allowed to have jobs should avoid most of the restaurants in the county.

Williams, who didn’t attend the hearing, said he was disappointed to learn of Betleski’s comments.

“If that’s the way the judge feels, he’s out of touch with the way the majority of people feel,” he said.

Former Officer Christopher Fox Accused of Allowing Underaged Teens to Drink

A former North Olmsted police officer accused of allowing underage drinking at his home is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.

Christopher Fox, 49, who was fired by the department on Nov. 21, faces 31 charges of liquor offenses involving underage persons stemming from a New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day party at his Barton Road home.

North Olmsted Law Director Michael Gareau and Anthony Manning, an attorney representing Fox, did not immediately return voicemails seeking comment.

Manning has filed a motion to have some of the charges against Fox dismissed, court records show.

An oral hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, and a jury trial is scheduled to begin on May 27, although a jury trial was scheduled and then postponed in March, court records said.

Shortly after Fox was fired, Gareau told the Northeast Ohio Media Group that his dismissal was unrelated to the charges against him.

Fox was let go for abuse of sick leave, according to his personnel file, which North Olmsted provided to the Northeast Ohio Media Group in December.

The 23-year veteran of the North Olmsted police force was first disciplined for improperly using sick leave in 1998 when he was suspended for five days for sick leave abuse, his file said.

His file shows a pattern of abusing sick leave during his tenure with the North Olmsted police department. In 2012 he was suspended for another sick leave violation and disciplined for failing to report for duty because of off-duty alcohol consumption.

Detective Stevie Billups Sentenced For Drug Crimes

Former Columbus Police Detective Stevie Billups, 48, of Columbus, was sentenced to serve 57 months in prison for crimes he committed through his involvement with a local drug dealer.

Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Kevin Cornelius, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office (FBI); Karen Huey, Director of Enforcement for the Ohio Casino Control Commission; and Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs announced the sentence imposed today by Senior U.S. District Judge James L. Graham.

Judge Graham also fined Billups $10,000 and ordered him to serve three years of supervised release after he completes his prison sentence.

Billups pleaded guilty on November 22, 2013, to one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute heroin. According to a document the government filed with the court prior to today’s sentencing, in 2013 Billups provided armed protection for two transactions involving drugs while he was a Columbus Police officer.

Billups began his relationship with a drug dealer when Billups began laundering money for the drug dealer by cashing in chips which helped the drug dealer avoid transaction reporting requirements at the Hollywood Casino in Columbus.

According to court documents, Billups asked the drug dealer to “get him in the game.” Billups’ query led to the June 28th and July 17th drug stings by the FBI, whereby Billups protected the drug dealer in the pickup of purported drug money. He later provided protection for the drug dealer during a transaction which Billups believed involved the distribution of heroin. Billups provided protection during the second transaction while he was on duty, armed with his service weapon, and in a Columbus Division of Police unmarked detective vehicle. Billups received a total of $5,000 in exchange for providing protection to the drug dealer during these transactions.

“Public confidence in our police to ‘do the right thing’ is undermined with each case of police corruption,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Doug Squires told the court. “It is a police officer’s duty to uphold the law and protect the public....Billups’ intent to aid and further the problems that heroin has brought to our communities for his own profit indicates the serious nature of this offense.”

“Using a police officer’s badge and gun to commit crime is a particularly disturbing threat to the community,” stated SAC Kevin Cornelius. “This case highlights the fact that local, state, and federal agencies are working together to root out corruption and bring to justice those who betray the public’s trust.”

“Ohio Casino Control Commission and its gaming agents are committed to working with our federal and local law enforcement partners to investigate criminal activity occurring at the casinos,” said Karen Huey. “The Commission will not tolerate money laundering or drug dealing at any of Ohio’s casinos.”

U.S. Attorney Stewart praised the cooperative investigation by the Ohio Casino Control Commission and the FBI’s Central Ohio Public Corruption Task Force, which includes agents from the FBI and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).

Mr. Stewart commended the Columbus Division of Police and Police Chief Kim Jacobs for the cooperation they provided during the course of this investigation and thanked the Homeland Security Investigations Bulk Cash Smuggling Task Force for helping initiate this investigation. The Bulk Cash Smuggling Task Force includes agents with Homeland Security Investigations and detectives with the Columbus Police Department, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Stewart also acknowledged Assistant United States Attorneys Doug Squires and David DeVillers, who prosecuted the case.

Officer Investigated After Man Severely Injured After Arrest

An internal investigation is underway into an incident between a Chillicothe Police officer and a man he arrested.

The officer arrested the man for public intoxication Saturday morning.

While in police custody he ended up with a black eye. He also says he has a concussion.
           
The Chillicothe Police officer involved says he found 24 year old Matt Mitchell apparently drunk and urinating on a building on the corner of North Paint and East Second Streets when he took him into custody.

Mitchell denies that, and disagrees with just about everything else police say happened during an incident that ended with him being airlifted to a hospital in Columbus.

Matt Mitchell admits he has a criminal record.

He admits he'd been drinking at a Chillicothe bar late Friday into Saturday.

But he says nothing in his past, or his actions this weekend, justify the injuries he suffered while in police custody.

"From right here, all the way down here, back in through here, all the way down through here is fractured,” Mitchell said, pointing to his blackened eye. “And I got a mild concussion in my head."

He says he was being booked inside the Ross County Jail when he lost his footing and ended up on all fours.

"And I heard them- they thought I was doing something, reach down to my socks or something,” Mitchell said. “They said ‘lay down on the ground now!’ I said ‘okay, that's where I'm going’ then. And I looked over to see who said it to me, and the next think I know, just boom. I got hit, right here in the side of my face by something. I don't know what it was."

The incident report tells a different story, describing Mitchell as disorderly and uncooperative.

Here’s the series of events as written by the officer, whom 10TV is not naming because he has not been found guilty of wrongdoing:

"(Officer) told him numerous times to stop trying to pull away so (officer) could take the handcuffs off but as before he continued to refuse.  As (officer) went to take off one of the handcuffs, Mr. Mitchell started pushing his body off of the wall and trying to pull his arms back toward him yelling...  He then tried to spin around so he would be facing Ofc. At this point (officer) grabbed a hold of Mr. Mitchell and tried to put him on the ground so he could be better controlled, however he continued to resist causing (officer) to use more force to put him down. Just as he started to fall with (officer) coming down behind him, (officer) heard Mr. Mitchell's head strike the ground. Mr. Mitchell was knocked unconscious."
           
"That did not happen at all,” said Mitchell.  “There was nobody that fell behind me on top of me. No. I know exactly what happened. I got hit in the face."

Mitchell was flown to a Columbus hospital and was released Sunday.

He says he is confident security camera video of the incident will back up his version of events.
    
Chillicothe Police Chief Roger Moore has asked the Sheriff's Office not to release video of the incident until his internal investigation is complete.

He says that should take a couple of days, but says even then, he will have no comment on this matter.

Former Chief David Phillips & Officer Carrie Ann Murray Charged with Theft

A former police chief and police officer were arrested and charged with theft in office, the Lake County Prosecuting Attorney said today.

Former Timberlake Police Chief David Phillips and former Timberlake Police Officer Carrie Ann Murray are in the Lake County jail, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Both have been charged with two counts of theft from office, and Phillips was also charged with two counts of tampering with records. The indictment charges that the thefts occurred in October of last year.

Trooper Sgt. Ricky Vitte Jr Indicted for Masturbating With Pre-Teen Boy

An Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper accused of masturbating with a pre-teen boy while the pair watched pornography was indicted this week by a Sandusky County grand jury, months after officials dropped the investigation and said they would not pursue charges.

Sgt. Ricky Vitte Jr., 34, of the 900 block of County Road 42 in Helena, was charged with disseminating matter harmful to juveniles — one felony count and one misdemeanor.

If convicted of the fourth-degree felony, he could serve six to 18 months in prison and pay a $5,000 fine. If convicted on the misdemeanor, he could see up to 180 days behind bars and a $1,000 fine.

The Highway Patrol placed Vitte on paid administrative leave Wednesday morning, after they learned of the indictment. They have also launched an administrative investigation into the alleged sex acts, said Sgt. Vincent Shirey, an assistant Patrol spokesman.

The goal of the investigation: “Just to do a thorough investigation on the allegations and see what’s true and what’s false and what exactly happened,” Shirey said.

Sandusky County assistant prosecutor Norman Solze offered few additional details on the decision to pursue charges, other than saying Sandusky County prosecutor Tom Stierwalt was the prosecutor assigned to the case.

Solze added, however, that the decision to present the case to a grand jury was made collaboratively by employees in the prosecutor’s office, and not by Stierwalt himself.

The indictment comes after about three months of conflicting information presented by public officials associated with the case.

In January, Stierwalt said he declined to charge the trooper because Vitte could argue he was teaching the boy about sex. In a police report, however, Sandusky County detective Sean O’Connell said Stierwalt’s reasoning for not charging Vitte was due to the length of time that had elapsed since the alleged incident, and the lack of physical evidence.

Ohio State Highway Patrol employees had also offered murky answers about the overall case, as well as the Patrol’s stance on Vitte’s employment and the status of an administrative investigation.

In late February, Ohio Department of Public Safety spokesman Joseph Andrews said there was nothing the Patrol could do in Vitte’s case, unless charges were filed.

— RECENT ALLEGATIONS

Sandusky County deputies began investigating Vitte late last year, after the boy and his mother spoke to Erie County Job and Family Services.

On two occasions about five years ago, Vitte allegedly showed the child porn videos while he and the boy masturbated in the same room, the boy, now a teen, told social workers. When confronted with the allegations, Vitte told the boy’s mother he was teaching him about alternatives to sexual intercourse, according to O’Connell’s report.

A brief criminal investigation ensued, during which O’Connell never interviewed Vitte.

O’Connell did, however, go to Vitte’s home in an attempt to interview him, but when Vitte arrived in his Patrol cruiser and spotted the deputy’s cruiser parked outside, he sped off, the report said.

Vitte allegedly led O’Connell on a mile-long chase before pulling over and saying he needed to talk with his attorney, Dean Henry, the report said.

For his part, Henry has been working with O’Connell and Stierwalt for more than a year as a special prosecutor for the Sandusky County prosecutor’s office.

— RAP SHEET

This recent indictment is not Vitte’s first run-in with the law outside of his duties as a trooper.

In 2003 he was charged with domestic violence after he allegedly beat a 5-year-old boy until his buttocks were bruised and bleeding, then head-butted the boy’s mother when she became upset, according to a police report.

Henry successfully defended Vitte in that case, pleading down his domestic violence charge to a lesser charge of child endangering.

Word of Vitte’s violent tendencies resurfaced late last year when social workers spoke with his children. The children told investigators they saw their father punch holes in walls and doors during violent fits of rage. At other times, they watched Vitte drag their mother into another room by her arm and yell at her, the report stated.

Officer Kenneth Bielik Charged with Disorderly Conduct

A Youngstown police officer is due in court this evening on charges of disorderly conduct and failure to desist after being arrested late Monday for allegedly interfering in the investigation of a fight at a gas station.

Kenneth Bielik, 29, of Austintown, was issued a summons on the charges following an incident at Sheetz gas sation at the corner of Mahoning Avenue and Route 46.

Youngstown Police Chief Robin Lees said Bielik is not on suspension because the investigation into the officer’s behavior just began and he wants to wait to see what happens in court.

According to a police report, Austintown officers were called to the gas station just after 11:30 p.m. Monday for a large fight. When they arrived, they saw a man, later identified as James Bielik, 31, shoving another man, Andrew Irwin, against a brick wall outside the gas station.

After seeing James Bielik shove Irwin a second time, officers ordered them to separate, and they complied. Irwin told officers he was confronted by James Bielik inside the store and was pushed out the double doors into the parking lot by James Bielik, who is the YPD officer’s brother.

Officers said James Bielik was very drunk and he told officers he thought Irwin was bothering his sister, which prompted the confrontation.

While Austintown officers were trying to interview James Bielik, Kenneth Bielik kept trying to interrupt despite repeated warnings to step away, the report states.

The report states that at one point, Kenneth Bielik yelled “I work for YPD. I am a police officer. What are you going to arrest me for?” Austintown officers noted in the report that Kenneth Bielik appeared very intoxicated, smelled strongly of alcohol and had glassy and bloodshot eyes.

After being told he would be arrested for disorderly conduct and obstructing official business if he did not walk away, Bielik had to be restrained by a friend, the report states.

As officers were trying to question a woman at the scene about what happened, Bielik continued to walk over and interject his comments. After being given several warnings and continuing his aggressive behavior, Austintown officers arrested Bielik for disorderly conduct and failure to desist.

At first, Bielik refused to be handcuffed, but he later complied, the report states. Once at the Austintown police station, Bielik calmed down and said he was upset because of a comment made toward his sister and he was defending her, the report states.

James Bielik was issued a summons for disorderly conduct after Irwin refused to press charges for assault, the report states.

Former Officer Andrew Probst Sentenced to Prison for Having Sex with Minor

A former village auxiliary police officer will be sentenced next month to four years in prison for having a sexual relationship with a minor.

Andrew G. Probst, 24, of Bluffton, pleaded guilty to eight counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, all fourth-degree felonies. Sentencing is scheduled for April 28.

Probst is out on bail.

The prosecution agreed to the four-year sentence in exchange for the guilty plea.

The crimes are unrelated to Probst’s job with the Bluffton Police Department, which he worked as an unpaid auxiliary officer, said Chief Rick Skilliter. Auxiliary officers are required to work nine hours a month.

Probst was hired Nov. 14, 2011, and resigned Feb. 17, Skilliter said.

Assistant Allen County Prosecutor Terri Kohlrieser said the charges accuse Probst of having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a girl between the ages of 13 and 15.

That relationship occurred between Sept. 1, 2012, and Jan. 20, Kohlrieser said.

The girl told a staff member at the school she attends and that staff member, who is required by law to report such crimes, reported the matter to Allen County Children Services, Kohlrieser said.

Trooper Jeremy Garner Arrested Again for Drunk Driving

An Ohio State Trooper is accused in a case of extreme drunk driving. And this is not the first time he's been accused of breaking the law he gets paid to enforce.

Columbus Police say Trooper Jeremy Garner plowed into two parked cars Sunday night, and then attempted to drive away.

Investigators say his blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit.

Columbus Police records indicate Garner was aggressively drunk when he got behind the wheel Sunday  night, and crashed into two parked cars.

"I heard a big loud boom outside of my window," said Nicole Celebrezze.
She says she looked out her window to see her car had been hit.

She says she called 911 and ran down to the street, to see the SUV that hit her car pulling away.  "He almost made it to High Street, but I don't think he would have gotten far because his tire was sideways."

By that time, Columbus Police were there, keeping the driver from going any further.

"He pretty much fell out of the automobile," Celebrezze said. "That's when I knew this was a drunk driver."

A Columbus Police crash report shows Garner tested at .277, more than three times the legal limit.

"Didn't seem coherent. I highly doubt he remembers anything that occurred," Celebrezze said.

Records show this wasn't Garner's first OVI charge.

In 2007, Grove City Police stopped him for speeding, clocking him at 69 miles per hour in a 35 zone.

He failed field sobriety tests, and registered a blood alcohol content of .209.

The test was thrown out because of a machine malfunction, but he pleaded guilty, getting 3 days in jail, two years' probation, and a 6 month license suspension.

"When are you going to learn?" asked Celebrezze. "At least learn from the first mistake, if you're going to make a mistake at all."

She knows this could have been worse. "I'm just glad no one got hurt," she said.

But she's troubled by the actions of a public safety professional who should know better.

"It's a serious thing, State Trooper or not. When you're in that position, in the public eye, you should really, really have some consequences for those actions."

Garner faces charges tonight including OVI and fleeing the scene of a crash.

The State Patrol said he is using his own leave time right now as the Patrol investigates the matter.

We asked how his last OVI was handled by the Patrol, but they can't tell us.

The Department of Public Safety only retains internal investigation records for 5 years, so a spokesperson says those records from 2007 no longer exist.

Officer Edwin Powell Charged with Assault

A Cleveland police officer has been charged with assault.

Patrol Officer Edwin Powell faces assault, menacing and interfering with civil rights charges stemming from allegations of misconduct against a prisoner while Powell was working secondary employment, Police Chief Calvin Williams said in a department release.

Powell received a summons and is scheduled to appear in Cleveland Municipal Court at 8:30 a.m. March 11. The department's Internal Affairs Unit investigated the allegations, and sent their findings to the city prosecutors, who filed the charges Friday.

Police would not release any more information about the incident tied to the charges.
Powell will be placed on administrative duties pending a disciplinary hearing in front of Director of Public Safety Michael McGrath.

Former Ohio Officer Charged with Sex Crimes Against Minor

A former Ohio police officer has been charged with multiple sex crimes against a minor.

Media outlets report Friday's charges of rape, unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and eight other counts stem from his relationship with a woman who was a minor when he allegedly began sexually abusing her.

The reports say the 43-year-old Heath man used to be an officer in Hebron and Union Township in central Ohio.

He is accused of having a decade-long sexual relationship with a girl, now 26, when she was 8 and he was an officer.

Officials handling a child support case became suspicious when they learned the oldest of the couple's three children was 10.

The Associated Press is not naming the man to avoid identifying a suspected victim of sexual assault.

Officer Shaun Harder Pleaded Not Guilty To Aggravated Menacing

An Elmore police officer and humane society volunteer has denied threatening members of a horse rescue group last month on his Facebook page.

Shaun Harder, 23, Elmore, pleaded not guilty today to one misdemeanor count of aggravated menacing in Ottawa County Municipal Court. He was released on a recognizance bond and will have a pre-trial next month, said his attorney, Tom DeBacco of Port Clinton.

Harder is charged with posting a message on Facebook that threatened Arabian Horse Rescue, a group that has on-going disagreements with the Humane Society of Ottawa County over malnourished horses the humane society confiscated in January from Robin Vess’ Carroll Township farm.

“The horses need ppl (sic.) like us; the Arabian rescue group needs to be slaughtered like livestock,” authorities allege Harder wrote.

Authorities arrested Harder Friday, and he spent the weekend in jail, said Detective Amy Harrell of the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office.

This comes after the FBI agents from Toledo investigated the posting when ARM’s attorney, Leonard Yelsky of Toledo, called them and reported it, she said. They decided not to charge him federally and turned the case over to the sheriff’s office.

Officer Daniel McBroom Arrested for Drunk Driving

A Clyde police officer charged with drunken driving and speeding has been placed on unpaid leave.

According to the Norwalk post of Ohio State Highway Patrol, a trooper pulled over off-duty Clyde police Officer Daniel McBroom, 38, on Maple Street near Race Street at 12:35 a.m. Friday.

The trooper clocked McBroom going 40 mph in a 25 mph zone. He suspected McBroom was driving under the influence of alcohol and asked him to submit to a test.

McBroom refused, and the trooper charged him with operating a vehicle under the influence and speeding. He has no prior offenses, according to the patrol.

McBroom was scheduled to appear for an arraignment Tuesday morning in Sandusky County District Court in Clyde, but clerks at the court said he obtained a lawyer and his hearing will be rescheduled.

Clyde police Chief Bruce Gower said he was out of town when the incident occurred, so McBroom was told to use a vacation day to cover his Saturday shift. Gower placed McBroom on unpaid leave after speaking Monday with city manager Dan Weaver. McBroom will remain under suspension while the case is ongoing, Gower said.

Officer John McCalister Sentenced to Probation for Punching Man

The former Oakwood Public Safety officer who was caught on surveillance tape punching a Dayton man inside a local convenient store while off-duty, was sentenced Tuesday, Feb. 23, to one year of non-reporting probation.

John McCalister was originally charged with misdemeanor assault, but he entered a plea of guilty for disorderly conduct before Dayton Municipal Court Judge John Pickrel sentenced him.

The misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge was the result of an agreement between McCalister’s attorney, Richard Skelton, and the Springfield Prosecutor’s Office, the special prosecutor assigned to the case.

Pickrel also ordered McCalister to pay $42 in restitution to victim Paul Watts and not to have any contact with Watts.

The incident occurred Oct. 14 at the Rite Aid, 1158 Wilmington Ave., after Watts, who was 48 years old at the time, asked McCalister for some change.

Video surveillance, which did not have audio, showed McCalister striking Watts twice without Watts attempting to strike McCalister back.

Watts arrived at the court building on Tuesday but did want to appear in Pickrel’s courtroom, according to Elizabeth Smith, assistant Springfield City Prosecutor.

McCalister’s wife and fellow Oakwood officer Tiffany McCalister witnessed the Oct. 14 event but was not charged.

John McCalister, who for 25 years has served both as a public safety officer and a Dayton firefighter, declined to speak in court.

McCalister resigned from the public safety department in December. Tiffany McCalister, who is a former Dayton police officer, was still listed on Oakwood’s payroll as of Tuesday, Feb. 23. However, Oakwood’s Assistant City Manager Jay Weiskircher said she is expected to resign in April.

Officer Nick Gattermeyer Suspended for High Speed Crash

A West Chester police officer critically hurt in a crash has been punished for his actions leading up to the crash.

West Chester police said Officer Nick Gattermeyer was driving more than 100 mph prior to losing control of his cruiser and crashing into a tree while responding to a burglary call.

Gattermeyer spent several weeks in the hospital and returned to light duty.

West Chester police said Gattermeyer has been suspended for four days without pay for his actions.